Unplanned Reconciliation
by bluelily3
Summary: Yamcha has to go to Capsule Corp to get a new hovercar. But Bulma is not the first person he runs into.


_Yamcha_

_Once again, I needed to get a hovercar, and once again, I had to go to Capsule Corp. to get it. I didn't really mind, it's not like I dreaded it as much as I used to. I tried to buy hovercars from other companies, but they always stiffed me, and their quality sucked. Nobody did it like Capsule Corp. Nobody did it like Bulma. _

_Besides Goku, she was still my closest friend, no matter what we had been through. It's pretty rare to make it through the stuff that we did, and still come through to the other side as friends. She never scorned me, and I never criticized her. Even though I still wondered what her reasons were for the things she did (okay, no joke... it's only one thing... Vegeta) I never asked either of them the burning question of why it happened. I figured it was none of my business, and I didn't really want to know anyway. All I knew, is that I still loved and cherished Bulma as a friend and trusted advisor. _

_That day, I came to the Capsule compound feeling exactly like that. I didn't care, I didn't want to know, and none of it mattered anymore because it had been over for a long time. When I made the appointment with Bulma, that was just how I was going to act. The past was the past, and all I wanted from her was the very best hovercar she could sell me. Problem is... Bulma wasn't the first person I ran into in the foyer. _

_Vegeta_

_I didn't even know he was there. Well, technically, he was a small power reading in the back of my mind, but not enough of a presence for me to pay much attention to. His power level was just about the same as Bulma's other friends and it didn't matter to me which one it was. Not to say I don't care about them, but I still wouldn't call them my friends outright. _

_The truth was, I felt a little uncomfortable around the other fighters. They had seen and heard so much, and there were a few times in battle that I would rather not have had any of them there to witness the circumstances. That began on Namek (don't get me started with that _business) and ended with me pleading with the Earth's population for them to help out "for the sake of their children". Why didn't I notice what I said or did until after it happened? It wouldn't really matter so much if they would keep quiet about it like Piccolo (who was a little higher on my "I have no wish to kill you" list) but Krillin, Yamcha, and that weird pig man didn't let me live certain things down. Which I find isn't really fair, since Bulma told me that none of them were saints when Goku met them, either.

Anyway, like I said. I didn't even notice he was there. I was walking through the foyer, headed towards the front door, and my mind was elsewhere. Then I heard a small muffled noise that was halfway between a cough and a laugh, and I turned around. Yamcha was sitting on one of our ridiculous formal couches (those things are child-size, even for me, and Yamcha looked like an idiot perched upon it). I looked over at him and fixed my expression to a neutral one, so he wouldn't start acting like a sniveling coward. A lot of people were reduced to that state when I glared at them, and while I used to enjoy it, I found it annoying when it was one of Bulma's friends. Didn't they understand by now that they weren't in any danger around me? Sometimes it was nice to have Bulma around as a buffer, and this was one of those times. Unfortunately, I respected the woman too much now to "summon" her like I used to do, so I decided to deal with it on my own.

Now, my thoughts on are Yamcha are simple, but also complicated. They are simple in the fact that as soon as I see him (especially when he is alone at my house) I feel like some sort of animal that needs to mark its territory. After that feeling subsides, it gets complicated. Yamcha is Bulma's best friend after Kakarrot, and I don't mind that. Part of what makes Bulma and I work is that we allow each other our freedoms. She can have as many friends as she wants. As long as I don't have to make small talk with them.

After the fact that he is her best friend, he is also her old mate. I don't allow my mind to wonder too much in that direction. I actually find it quite humorous, but I don't show that in front of Yamcha because I don't want to anger him. Which leads to the next fact about him. He's a fighter, but in my presence he only embarrasses himself. I suppose he used to be pretty strong, but one could almost feel sorry for him now. However, since Bulma doesn't want me to bring _that _up around him, there is really nothing for us to talk about, and usually, I avoid him.

I would have avoided him in this case too by just walking right past him out the door, but he did greet me (if you can call that sound he made a greeting) and I was in a generous mood. Maybe I could play around with him a bit. I know Bulma didn't like it, but she wasn't here, and Yamcha brought out the tiny sneering monster in me.

Yamcha

He leaned against the far wall with his arms crossed. I stood up, since the couch was weird and tiny and I didn't like to sit down around Vegeta. Even though I knew he had signed off from destroying people, there was still something about him that made you want to stand up and pay attention when he was in the room. This is going to sound a little on the freaky side, but even though Vegeta made me a bit uncomfortable, I still sort of liked him. There was something admirable about him, and he made Bulma happier than I have ever seen her. Not that I would tell him that. He would either laugh at me or be disgusted, and I just got to the point where he didn't do that whenever he saw my face, so I didn't want to ruin things. Maybe someday I would say "I like you, man" as a joke, but it was probably something he wouldn't appreciate. I wonder how Bulma tells him how she feels? Does she just up and say it? "Hey Vegeta, I love you!" What does he do? I almost laughed out loud thinking about this, then I remembered that I was not alone. I looked over at him again, and he looked right into my eyes, all cards on the table. I don't think I've ever seen him look so open before, like he had nothing to hide. It was kind of spooky. Before I could attempt to say anything, he nodded his head in my direction and said simply

"Yamcha."

I did the only thing that could be done, I looked back at him and answered back.

"Vegeta." Then I felt really stupid. I had no idea what to say around him, but I'm sure he had plenty of things to say to me. For starters, he had everything that I ever wanted, and he hadn't done anything to deserve it. Except for just the other day, when he had saved the world. That was pretty cool, I guess.

Then he smirked at me, and I almost felt like punching him. But when he stepped a little closer, I saw that wasn't really a smirk, just a weird smile. He laughed, a short sort of bark.

"What are you laughing at?" I asked, already on the defensive.

"Nothing really. Just how we act so foolish when we are in the same room. We really don't have anything in common, do we?"

"Except for Bulma." _Crap, why did I bring _that _up?"_

"Bulma..." He paused, and I looked away, not able to handle his thoughtful expression. Then, I almost wanted to know what he thought of her. But how could I ever know that.

"We don't even have her in common." He said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I have her, and you don't." He turned toward the wall as he was insulting me, almost like he didn't want to see what my face would look like when he threw the barb at me. I was caught somewhere between hurt and outraged. What gave him the right to treat me like this? I really wanted to get him back, but couldn't think of anything to say. I sat there quietly, which sort of threw him off. He slowly turned around again, and I barely lifted my head to match his eyes.

"Never mind, that was... Do you have an appointment with her? I think she mentioned something about you coming over today for a car."

"Yes." That was all I could say. Inside, I was really angry for letting him do this to me, but my mind was still blank. Then, suddenly, he sat on the floor. He wasn't really close to me, but he managed to do it casually, like he always came in the foyer to sit on the floor at 1 'o clock in the afternoon.

"I think you're a little early." His voice was quiet, as if he was talking about something serious. I blinked. What was he...?

"About the appointment, I mean. She's busy with something else at the moment." His voice was almost sickeningly soft when he mentioned her, and I had to swallow hard to keep from gagging. Was he doing this for show? He probably yelled at her all the time when he actually around her.

"I guess I could just go outside and wait." I replied.

"What for? That's what this room is for, waiting." What was he up to? Who cares what the room was for? He was so _weird! _

"I guess..." I hesitated. He chucked to himself.

"But you can do whatever you want. I won't stop you."

"Weren't you on your way out, anyway?" _Please go, _I thought. But he just nodded, and didn't say anything more about what where he was going. I glanced over at him and noticed that he was sitting with his short legs crossed beneath him like he was meditating, and his eyes were half-closed staring at the floor. What in the world was going on? He wasn't going to get all serious on me, was he? I didn't think I could take it. If he asked me anything about how I felt about him or Bulma, I was going to be sick. How would I answer something like that?

"You don't fight anymore, do you?" He suddenly asked.

"What? Uh...not really. What would be the point?" His dark eyes pinned me.

"There is always a reason to fight."

"Well, yeah, but... I don't have what it takes anymore."

"Come on, you're not that old. Even for a human, you are still in pretty good shape." Was he _complimenting _me?

"Sure. But I'm out of circle."

"Circle? There's no "circle". If there was, don't you think it would be _me _who was out of it?" This was getting weird.

"No. I don't think..." I almost swallowed my tongue when he was suddenly there, inches from my face.

"Are you still afraid of me, Yamcha?" His voice was penetrating, but it didn't sound like a threat.

"Actually... I... respect you, Vegeta." _Holy, Toledo! I actually said it! _I wanted to run away now and either puke or cry, or something. But he didn't belittle me. He just shook his head and smiled crookedly.

"Why?" His eyes pinned me again, and I felt like they were pulling out every honest thing I could say to him. Either that, or this was an interrogation. This wasn't the first time Vegeta had made me feel like I wanted to roll over and die.

Vegeta

I almost couldn't stomach the way I was acting. This wasn't the sort of thing I was used to. But I had to know. For some odd reason, I suddenly wanted to know exactly what Yamcha thought about me. He swallowed hard.

"Why? Why do I respect you? Well, uh... You're strong and...brave."

"Oh, give me a break. You sound like my son. Those are childish reasons to look up to someone. And, while they are true, I was expecting something a little more convincing coming from you. You really shouldn't have a reason to respect me. My son doesn't know any better."

"You mean, he doesn't know anything about your past?" He swallowed again, and I could see the regret on his face. He knew he was stepping in dangerous territory.

"My son is none of your concern." I answered shortly. There was no way I was going to take this "share your feelings" time any further with my thoughts on Trunks and Bulma. If he asked me anything about Bulma, I felt like I would blast him. Just enough to warn him, anyway. This whole conversation was getting ridiculous. Of course, I was the one who started it.

"Okay, sorry, man. I mean... it's hard to explain. I guess it's about Bulma."

So he did bring her up. Son of a- My hand itched to gather energy. This was not his territory.

"What about her?" I replied cautiously.

"You kept her, while I didn't. You never cheated on her, and you make her happy. You must be treating her pretty good." All of this seemed to spill out of him, and I wanted to reach over and push the words back into his obnoxious mouth.

"Perceptive , aren't you?" Yamcha nervously smiled, and I backed away from him. Before I could say anything else, he floored me with,

"When did you two get married?" I gaped at him.

"What! We are not married." Yamcha looked shocked.

"Well, Bulma calls you her husband."

"Does she?" I shook my head and smirked. _That woman... _"Well, she does have a her fantasies. We are not officially married. What reason would I have for marrying her? I don't need to. I just live her, and we have a son. Nothing else. She didn't invent some fanatical ceremony in head and tell everyone about it, did she?" Now Yamcha laughed.

"No, man. Don't worry."

"Good. She would know better." Suddenly Yamcha narrowed his eyes at me.

"What _would _you do to her if she did?"

"What? What are you-"

"If you ever hurt her..."

"Now you are being an idiot, Yamcha. I have never harmed her. Have you seen any scratches or bruises on her? If you noticed, her body parts are all in the right areas..."

"Sorry."

"You better be. As for what I do when I am angry with her, it really doesn't matter, now, does it?" But the moron still narrowed his eyes at me.

"I just wouldn't talk to her for awhile! Is that what you wanted to know?" Yamcha laughed at me.

"You wouldn't _talk to her for awhile? _That sounds like something a little kid would-"

"Well, idiot, what did _you _do when you were mad at her?" He stopped laughing.

"I guess I'd do the same thing. She really doesn't like the silent treatment, you know?"

"Yes, I know." I shook my head at him. "Now, should you be-"

"Hey, guys! Uh...what are doing?" We both turned around fast as Bulma entered the room. I had felt her energy nearby, but I hadn't thought she was coming already. Yamcha smiled at her.

"Oh, just talking. Right, Vegeta?" I just shook my head and scoffed at him. There was no way he was going to get me to confess to anything.

"I've got better things to do." I turned my back on both of them and walked out the front door of the compound. Just when I was flying away, I got the strange feeling in my stomach that I had said things I hadn't meant to say again. It always got me mixed up with these humans. I shrugged. There was nothing I could do about it now.


End file.
